Is Cal Center Lee Dort Ready to Return vs. SMU?

Cal coach Mark Madsen continues to paint an encouraging picture for when starting center Lee Dort can return from a lower-body injury.

Dort has missed the past seven games, but Madsen is optimistic the 6-foot-10 center will be available when the Bears (19-8, 7-7 ACC) take on SMU (19-8, 8-6) on Wednesday at Haas Pavilion.

Madsen said Dort looked good during the Bears’ practice Monday morning.

“Lee Dort went 100 percent live, we scrimmaged up and down. He looked great,” Madsen said. "If I had to guess, he’s going to play. But I don’t have the post-practice report from our trainer yet.

“If he doesn’t play against SMU, we’re right there. Whether it’s SMU or Pitt, we’re extremely close.”

Dort started Cal’s first 20 games and averages 8.3 points and 7.7 rebounds. The Bears are 4-3 without him, including their 72-66 win over Stanford on Saturday.

Asked to describe the difference Dort can make, Madsen said, “Huge. He scores it on the low block, he’s a rim protector, he gets every rebounds.”

Cal has not been a great rebounding team this season, ranking 16th in the ACC at minus-2.0 per game. SMU, which sits seventh in the ACC at plus-3.42 rebounds per game, will test the Bears on the boards.

But the rebounding difference with or without Dort has been minimal, perhaps owing to an improved contribution from Milos Ilic, his replacement in the starting five

The senior transfer, a 6-9 native of Serbia, is providing the Bears 6.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists and shooting 57 percent as a starter. He’s shooting 14 for 15 from the free throw line over that stretch.

“Milos is a guy who can really do a lot of things out there also.” Madsen said. “You saw the great post move, rocker step (against Stanford). He can do that a lot more than probably he is doing. You see the playmaking ability, shoots the 3, good rebounder. So he does so many great things.”

He has 16 points and 14 rebounds in Cal’s 107-100 double-overtime loss at Syracuse two weeks ago.

Ilic’s biggest shortcoming has been on defense, where he is accumulating 4.6 fouls per game since moving into the lineup and has fouled out four times in seven games.

Wednesday’s game is significant for both Cal and SMU as ACC regular-season play enters the final two weeks.

The top nine finishers in the standings earn first-round byes to the ACC tournament, March 10-14 at Charlotte, NC. SMU currently resides alone in eighth place and Cal is tied with Florida State for ninth.

The Bears can move up with a win over the Mustangs. But if they were to finish in a dead heat for ninth with FSU, the Seminoles would win the tiebreaker — and get the bye — based on their 63-61 victory over Cal at Tallahassee.

The Bears play their home finale on Saturday afternoon against Pitt (10-17, 3-11) before closing out the regular season next week with road games at Georgia Tech (11-17, 2-13) on March 4 and at Wake Forest (14-13, 5-9) on March 7.

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